Chelsea star vomits on pitch after clashing with Arsenal ace on international duty

Chelsea striker Joao Pedro was left in a bad way after a collision with Brazil team-mate Gabriel Martinelli. The former Brighton star, who joined the Blues for £60million over the summer, was seen vomiting on the pitch during his country's World Cup qualifier against Chile.

The incident occurred in the 18th minute of the match, as the Brazilian pair both looked to attack a ball into the Chilean box. As Joao Pedro sat on the turf receiving attention, he turned to throw up onto the turf at the Maracana.

The 23-year-old, who was winning just his fourth senior cap, recovered to play 71 minutes before making way for Kaio Jorge. Brazil eventually ran out 3-0 winners thanks to goals from Estevao, Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes.

Brazil sit second in South American qualifying and have already booked their place at next summer's World Cup. Their final qualifier comes against a Bolivia side who still have a chance of making the inter-confederation play-offs.

Seven Premier League players started from Brazil, with two more coming off the bench, but there was no place for Santos star Neymar. “It was a technical decision based on many factors,” manager Carlo Ancelotti said.

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“Nobody can question Neymar’s technical ability. What we assess every day, and for every match, is physical fitness. That applies not just to him, but to everyone,” Ancelotti added.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star returned to Santos in January after a spell in Saudi Arabia. The 33-year-old has scored six goals during his second spell with the club, but hasn't played for his country since 2023.

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, also 33, started a third straight Brazil game after spending all of 2024 in the international wilderness. However, some felt he was lucky to get away with just a yellow card following a stamp on Chile's Felipe Loyola.

"I want to arrive at the World Cup in good form," Casemiro told club media earlier in the year. "I want to enjoy the year, to arrive in top form, and it is the title that I am missing. So, I want to win titles here. We have new signings of top quality that will help us a lot.”

Brazil will be one of at least six South American representatives in next summer's World Cup. Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Colombia and Paraguay have also qualified, while either Venezuela or Bolivia will get a second chance through a six-team play-off in March.

Co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States are also assured of a spot in the tournament, while New Zealand have qualified as Oceania's guaranteed representative and Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea and Uzbekistan have booked their spot from Asian qualifying.

In Europe, qualifying only began in March this year, with the group stages wrapping up in November. All 12 group winners will automatically make it through, with England winning their first three games, while four further teams are due to progress via the play-offs.

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